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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Engine overhaul/rebuild

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Engine overhaul/rebuild -- page: 1 2     1883warren 09-13-2010 @ 9:00 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 25 Joined: Dec 2009 I took a '53 Studebaker six block and crank to a guy in a town 65 miles from home, on a Tuesday. He called on Friday and said the block was bored, but he had to install a sleeve in #2 because of a bad spot. He called the next Wednesday and said the crank was turned to .030 under and all was ready to come get. I drove there the next day and got everything. Once week later it was in the car and running great. I'd pull my engine out of that place... ask other nearby club members where to take it, then take it there and get your enigne DONE. Your present shop is ill-managed (or worse). That's my opinion and I'd bet the farm on it.... Warren EWATERS 09-03-2010 @ 4:03 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 65 Joined: Dec 2009 Thanks for your response. Having work done seems to be a real challenge regarding timeliness of progress. I know, "be patient" but I had planned to drive the car before I'm in my dotage. bigvince 09-03-2010 @ 12:23 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 60 Joined: Oct 2009 I had two engines rebuilt. I took a Mopar motor to a well established machine shop known for Mopar work and the engine languished for nearly 2.5 years. I took the Flathead V8 for the Ford to another shop and it was rebuilt in one month. Oh yeah...the Mopar engine was done 10 days after I got the flathead done! FrankM-RG5 08-12-2010 @ 11:47 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 135 Joined: Oct 2009 Is there a regional group near you? If so join. This will be an invaluable resource to finishing your car up. There is nothing here that is rocket science. A good lawn mower mechanic could put this together. My experience is limited but I managed to put two flatheads together. supereal 08-11-2010 @ 2:01 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 I understand the frustration with the time lag in getting antique work done. We don't solicit those jobs, but have a considerable backlog most of the year. Most is done in slow periods when the demand by customers for repairs to keep their vehicles in service for their businesses slacks a bit. The only way I know to determine if a shop is "reputable" is to ask around. Use your Club roster and call members for their opinion. Many, if not most, shops that accept antique work are run by those who have retired, or are running a sideline shop. We don't solicit antique work, and do most of it in the slack times late and early in the year. Much of the work is the result of my years of involvement in the hobby, and my love of old cars. We are "up front" with our customers and, always appreciate their patience. 37 Coupe 08-11-2010 @ 1:50 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 362 Joined: Oct 2009 If you have no idea where parts should go together or where to take engine and car next I would try to stick with this guy. I would check storage of the project as it might tell something about quality of work you will get back. Is stuff neat and tidy and organized,is machined surfaces protected or is stuff uncovered,disorganized and left rusting or gathering dust?If it looks like the guy cares even if he has not had the time, stick with him.If you move stuff could get lost or damaged and you will surely have to pay the man for his time for an unfinished job. I had a real good body shop and a buddy take almost a year and half to do my coupe but it was worth the wait and the price,my engine only took about a month but the worse was my license plates by a guy in Penna.took almost three years! This message was edited by 37 Coupe on 8-11-10 @ 1:56 PM EWATERS 08-11-2010 @ 1:29 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 65 Joined: Dec 2009 FrankM; thanks for your encouraging comments. The mechanic keeps telling me I have to be patient, but, after 6 months in the garage and 2-3 months in the machine shop my patience is stretching mighty thin. I plan to have a heart-to-heart with the mechanic. However, if I have to have my car returned home from the garage, I shudder at the thought of having a pile of miscellaneous parts from the engine that I don't have the experience or facilities to deal with at home. (by the way, does anyone have any idea how much a 6-cylinder block weighs?; i.e., will I need a crane to load it for transport home?) P.S.: How do I "find someone reputable,"? I thought and, still hope, that the garage where I took the car is "reputable," alas, only time will tell if I "have patience." This message was edited by EWATERS on 8-11-10 @ 1:38 PM FrankM-RG5 08-10-2010 @ 8:05 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 135 Joined: Oct 2009 I think 6 months is an inordinately long time. He brought the car somewhere to get work done and they should have told him what to expect. I do not know if the shop has much experience with this type of motor but it is not complicated. I can get a crank ground or a block bored in less than a month. Sometimes I hit it right and it is a few days. I brought all my stuff to the balance shop and it was a few weeks. This was due to the balancer not being happy with a few of the rods. You may just want to sit down with your mechanic and ask point blank if he has any interest in this project? If he does not then find someone reputable in your area. If a shop has a back log they usually do not want your stuff until they can give it their full attention. No one wants stuff needlessly lying around. supereal 08-09-2010 @ 12:10 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Right, Tom. Frequent customers usually get preference because they help pay the bills. Many shops won't touch antiques because they have no reference material, and flat rate books are long gone for old vehicles, so it is difficult to estimate the actual amount of time required for any specific job. This isn't to downgrade the importance of old cars. Machine work must be precise, and simply setting up equipment such as boring bars, hones, and crank grinders, balancers and polishers soaks up lots of time, and as said, "time is money". Anyone seeking a rebuild needs to have a "heart to heart" talk with the shop to understand how the process works, and how they can minimize the cost by stripping the block and running down necessary parts. TomO 08-09-2010 @ 8:18 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 Most automotive machine shops that do antique engine work also do work for garages and and parts houses. They will put their steady customers ahead of your once in a lifetime job. If the machine shop is reliable and has a lot of experience with the older engines, be patient. If you get impatient, they may just give your work to an apprentice. Tom

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